Dalmiya accuses Bindra of manipulation

In another rejoinder to Sourav Ganguly's scathing email, Jagmohan Dalmiya has claimed it was a witch-hunt devised by his detractors in the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA). Dalmiya has accused Inderjit Singh Bindra, the PCA president and a friend-turned-rival, of attempting to alienate and neutralise him.

Speaking to The Times of India, Dalmiya highlighted his far-from-amicable relationship with Bindra. "Isn't it an open secret? This is nothing but a witch-hunt," he said. "I know who is behind all this. Mohali is the epicentre of all my troubles. He [Bindra] tried to implicate me in a false case, accusing me of financial irregularities. We are witnessing a blatant misuse of power."

Since last year's BCCI election, where Dalmiya's candidate for the president's post was defeated, Dalmiya has found the going tough even in his home city of Kolkata. With the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) set to hold elections soon, Dalmiya has labeled Ganguly's attack as "pitiable".

"I can't believe it's genuine...if it is then it's very sad," he said. "When I was in power I tried to help him as much as I could. The Board appointed top lawyers to hear his appeals against match referees. I don't know much about this e-mail, but if he [Ganguly] indeed feels I have ruined his career, it's pitiable. In my entire career as cricket administrator, I have never harmed anyone knowingly, nor have I resorted to any witch-hunt something that is going on against me. I will surely bounce back."

Dalmiya even questioned Bindra and Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president's, ascendancy to power. "Let us not get into the ways used by them to grab power," he said. "Everyone [in the Board] knows what ethical and unethical ways they used to woo voters."

Bindra, in response to the accusations, said: "If Dalmiya feels Mohali is the epicentre of his troubles, he should not forget that he was the epicentre of our troubles. After having gone through so much, I will be the last person to get vindictive. It was Dalmiya who claimed that he can never lose a BCCI election as he knew all about manipulating the voters. I don't think he should be talking about this."

"It is surprising that of all people Dalmiya is talking about ethics. I just want to tell him one thing - he must understand that if he has any sympathiser left in the BCCI, it is Inderjit Singh Bindra," he added. "At any stage, if he wants my help, I shall readily do so for the sake of an old friendship."

In regards to the legal action taken against Dalmiya earlier this year, Bindra was cutthroat: "Where have the Board accounts disappeared? Why is he not submitting them? It was he who threw me out of the BCCI because I spoke in my personal capacity about match-fixing - among others things - something that was later proved by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He stopped the Board money that was due to PCA. Was that not witch-hunting?"